On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the more than four decades since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Ailsa Chang, Mary Louise Kelly and Ari Shapiro. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, which is hosted by Michel Martin.
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators.
All Things Considered has earned many of journalism's highest honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.
>> Visit the program's website for episode information.
-
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi — detained by authorities at his naturalization interview — is free for now. He had been in prison for two weeks after his arrest earlier in April.
-
The UN's highest court has been hearing testimony regarding Israel's conduct in providing aid to Palestinians, especially in Gaza where it has imposed a blockade of any goods entering the territory.
-
As Israel commemorates its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers, it is reckoning with the resumption of fighting in Gaza. Now more than 18 months long, it's the longest war Israel has ever waged.
-
The Trump administration canceled billions of dollars of grants that were supposed to help small towns across the U.S keep their residents safe from floods, wildfires and other extreme weather. In one small Maryland town, the loss of funding means people are trapped in harm's way.
-
NPR's Juana Summers talks with Kevin Roberts — president of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank which unveiled Project 2025 — about the Trump administration's recent actions.
-
Many of Trump's actions are a direct challenge to the courts and to Congress, the two branches of government designed to act as checks on presidential power. We look at this power dynamic.
-
On Wild Card, well-known guests answer the kinds of questions we often think about but don't talk about. Former Poet Laureate Joy Harjo shares what she would do to escape as a teenager.
-
The case is from Oklahoma, which like 45 other states, has laws that say charter schools must be public schools funded by the state, closely supervised by the state, and be non-sectarian. -
A few years ago, a bipartisan act of Congress established a new part of the government to work specifically on EV chargers and related topics. After the end of this week, the Joint Office will have no full-time federal employees at all.
-
This week, his life as a singer and his life as an actor have dovetailed, as Jack Black has just set an all-time record on the Billboard Hot 100. He's recorded the shortest song ever to hit the chart.
